28 Project Mach 1 Update

We didn’t want anyone to think our white ’04 Mach-1 took a back seat to the acquisition and flogging of our ’05 GT this past season of 2005. Although for the most part our ’05 GT was in the spot light at our shop for the better part of the ’05 season, especially once the Vortech went on.

The Mach-1 did see some minor tweaks, and did make it to the drag strip four times in the ‘05 season. The RWHP was in the high 500’s approaching 600 RWHP and never beat its respectable best of a 10.58 in the 1⁄4 on the 315/35/17 drag radials.

Although In late 2005 the Mach-1 did get a major cosmetic update.

The white ‘04 Mach-1 now sports a new wheel on all four corners that is 18” in diameter and are 9” wide up front and a jaw dropping 11.5” in the rear. The rear tire is now a huge 345/30/18 BF Goodrich drag radial that is meant for the Dodge Viper. This new rear tire is about 12.5” wide, and with the right amount of inner wheel well messaging, modifying, and a couple of 1⁄4” spacers at the wheel hubs, we got them to fit in the rear with a very appropriate look without sticking out too far past the outer wheel lip. It is truly breath taking to see this wide of a non “slick” type tire tucked in the rear of the Mach-1. I’ve always wanted to put 18” wheels on this car. I feel that the 94 and up body style Mustangs really lends its self and looks the most filled out when they’re sporting an 18” rim.

 

As much as I appreciated the stock Mach-1 wheels and really wanted to keep it looking like a Mach-1 – the fact that the stock wheels were seventeens wasn’t doing it for me any more. The rear tires that were formally in the rear were on widened stock wheels that were 10.5” wide and had a BF Goodrich drag radial that was 315/35/17 that looked very tough and filled out from behind, and hooked the car quite well. But the problem I had that most didn’t see or care about is that the 315/35/17’s in the rear were actually about 1/4” shorter then the stock 245/45/17’s in the front. And although the ride height was adjusted, it still wasn’t quite what I really thought it should look like.

 

The new rim is a “Hot Wheels” brand wheel and the model I have on the Mach-1 is called the ”68”. As soon as I laid eyes on this wheel, I knew that it had just the right amount of modern styling with a retro look that made it a completely suitable replacement for the Mach-1, and putting it into an 18” rim is really what I wanted in the first place.

The front rims once again are 18X9 with a 275/35/18 BF Goodrich tire and the rear rims were widened to 11.5”, the rear tire is a BFG Drag Radial that measures 345/30/18. This new rim and tire package has renewed the look of the Mach-1, truly brought it up to date and nicely filled it out when you look at it from any angle. And best of all the new rear tire isn’t shorter then the front tire, its about 3/8” taller then the new front tire, giving it that tougher, slightly raked stance that I really wanted.

Under The Hood
As far as what is going be new or is new for the Mach-1 under the hood for 2006 – It now has a Methanol injection kit that is installed the way most guys don’t install them when used on a roots or screw-type blower application. This past summer of 2005 we already learned that Methanol injection is the most effective when its injected into the hot, boosted side of the blower, like into the discharge tube of a Vortech application between the blower and the throttle body. When injected directly into the boosted, hot air, the Methanol can have its greatest effect in lowering the inlet temps a large amount.

We learned that when injecting the Methanol into the inlet of the blower or before the blower like 03-04 Cobra guys or any one with a screw type blower like Kenne Belle’s or Whipple – the Methanol’s effectiveness is greatly reduced. We found that instead of lowering the temps as much as 100+ degrees, it can only lower it about 40-60 degrees when injecting the Methanol before the blower. Our only and logical explanation for this is the Methanol is simply being heated up as it comes in contact with the blower’s internal’s. Even still though, you do get the benefit of higher octane and the inlet temps are reduced enough to be justified.

 

Our shop has tuned two 99 Cobras this past summer that had non-intercooled 1.5-Litre K.B. blowers on them making over 11 psi of boost which is strongly NOT recommended because of excessive inlet temps that are generated by the screw blowers when non intercooled at this boost level. We got them to run exceptional and made from 440 to 465 RWHP on stock “Long Blocks”. These are some pretty good numbers for a non-intercooled KB set up on a 32V 4.6L.

On the Mach though, we removed the entire blower package and lower intake, and proceeded to install a dual nozzle Methanol system that will inject the Methanol were it seems to be the most effective – after the blower/intercooler. My intentions are to step up the tune a little with the Methanol and see if it will make a reliable 635-650 RWHP for the ’06 Season and run mid to low tens in the quarter mile when the outside temp is over 85 degrees, and not only run great 1⁄4 mile numbers when its cool/cold outside. This will be our first experience with a Methanol kit installed after the blower on a roots/screw blower application.

 

Also on the Mach-1, the rest of the Methanol kit was installed in a bit more serious nature as well. The battery was tastefully relocated into the trunk in the spare tire “well”, under the trunk mat. And Vortech’s larger intercooler reservoir was used where the battery once went to house almost two gallons of Methanol. The Vortech reservoir is designed to 100% neatly bolt into where the battery would normally go. And as mentioned a paragraph ago, the Methanol injector jets are located at the bottom of the lower intake putting the Methanol into the intake stream after the blower. We will not have any performance updates with the Methanol until Spring 2006.